Busking

Whistle
1

My best busking instrument is an old Susato C
whistle. It has a lovely sweet sound, without
being shrill, and it carries beautifully. I haven’t
found its equal in the newer Susatos, though
maybe its there.

I also sometimes play a Billy Miller Bb bamboo
flute.

Busking can be pretty raw. There is a fair
amount of competition with other musicians
for a choice place to play. And there are
often long, long periods when nobody puts
any money in my jar and I think about
quitting and going
home but don’t. Also it’s pretty tiring blowing
and playing hour after hour. Sometimes it’s
very hot; sometimes it’s way too cold. People have run
off with my jar. The street is a tough place.

But lately there have been some very nice
experiences. A couple of weeks ago, what I thought
was a dollar in my jar turned out to be a ten.
I guess someone liked what I was playing.

A couple of days ago a young African American woman
came up to me with a look of joy on her face
and put several dollars folded together in my
jar.

I play lots of jigs and reels, also American fiddle tunes,
and sometimes middle eastern tunes. Also Bach.
The other day I played a chant I remembered from
India.

A young man came up, put a dollar in my jar, and said:

‘What is that?’

‘It’s a chant from India.’

‘Yes, I know. I’m Indian. Were you in India?’

‘Yes, I was there for three years.’

‘Where were you?’

‘Last time I was teaching in Calcutta.’

‘Teaching music?’

‘No, philosophy at Jadavpur University.’

‘I’m a software engineer’ he said. ‘My wife is a
clinical psychologist.’ And he pointed. There, about
ten feet away, stood a young Indian woman
in a Sari. She was holding a baby. Also there
was an older Indian woman. They smiled at me
and waved.

‘It was very good to hear this here,’ he said.
‘It was entirely unexpected. Goodbye.’

‘Namaste’ I said, and called after them.
‘It was Gandhi’s favorite chant!’

So many Indians were kind to me in India.
Here I am welcoming them to America.
Entirely unexpected for all concerned.

2

Neat story Jim.

Busking is truly a unique experience. Definitely one of those things I recommend folks try a few times - just in case the first time doesn’t go as well.

Eric

3

I love busking, and I love that people love it. If I don’t get any money in my hat, then at the least I get some people dancing as they go past. Occasionally, I can really make somebody’s day by breaking into something that makes them laugh as they go by (like the time I launched into What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor as some sailors went past). I’ve had couples cuddle near me for hours at a time as I play on my low whistle. I’ve been paid in anything from a penny to $20 bills, and played everywhere from beaches to subways to bars.

It’s even more fun if you find one or two other people to busk with you, though. Irish harp is an amazing combination with the whistle, and a fiddler works real good too. If you record a CD to sell while you’re playing, it’s an easy way of bumping up your income a lot. Even people that don’t understand giving money to somebody for playing on the streets understand buying a CD.

4

Busking is a good way to get a lot of practice.

I survived by busking for three months in Paris, 30+ years ago. I was playing recorder and/or flute, not whistle. I’d play until I had enough for my room and whatever I hoped to eat that day; then I’d quit. Some days I was done in an hour; some days were a very long stretch. It was the ultimate hand-to-mouth lifestyle.

I learned that American tourists wouldn’t give me any money if they learned I was American, but they would if they thought I was French. So I always spoke only French to American tourists, which was highly amusing to any Parisians walking by.

I played every kind of music I could think of. I didn’t play much traditional recorder music, because I didn’t know much.

It’s important to find a spot with good acoustics, especially for an unaccompanied whistle (or recorder). I used a passage under the Rue de Rivoli, which had a lot of traffic, and the reverb was wonderful. The good spots tend to be taken, however, and there can be nasty turf battles among buskers.

If you play daily, you get to know people who go by at their lunch break, etc. You get to know their favorite tunes, and if you play them when you see them coming, you can be nicely rewarded. I remember one fellow who liked, of all things, the “Godfather” theme. He tipped me generously enough that I remembered, and then I’d play it when I saw him coming, and it always brought a smile to his face.

It helps to be in Paris.

5

Yes, I busked in Paris. I think I was on Rue St. Michel a lot.
The closest busker to me was playing mouth harp.
I would busk till I had enough to buy lunch for
ma femme et moi. I learned to play ‘La Vie en Rose.’
I was staying in a zendo near Gare de Lyon.
Everybody in it was Polish, including the
roshi and his wife. I busked on the street around
there too.

Yes, it helps to be in Paris. I remember when I first
visited it–it had never occurred to me that
a city could be an improvement on nature.